Digital Comms for the Survivalist

One of the best kept secrets in the wonderful world of ham radio is that we have developed a number of digital networks that allow the survivalist to transmit and receive messages from around the country, and around the world.

From BOL to BOL, from bunker to bunker, these networks are on high alert, 24/7/365, and are scanning numerous frequencies on numerous bands, searching for your puny little pre / post and during SHTF signals. Trust me, this is a good thing. Stay with me and you'll learn why that is.

I'd like to tell you about two of those networks as well as some reasons why you might wish to avail yourself of them.
But first, spider monkeys, I'm going to step back and see who's interested, who has questions, and how best to pique the interests of those assembled herewith.

Yes, that's a Ruger SR40. To date, I have no evidence that radio frequency energy will ignite powder.

The digital modes are something I've wanted to get into but simply haven't devoted the time to it. I have recently acquired an HF rig (160-10) and have a 2M/440 handheld (Wouxun...don't think there's an interface to do digital with that though) and will be putting up an antenna (80-6) in the next week or two.

Definitely something I would like to learn more about.

Reluctor Dominatus - μολών λαβέ - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ​

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, The Right Of The People To Keep And Bear Arms Shall Not Be Infringed. - The Second Amendment

I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine. - John Galt

I have received NO government orders of any kind, public or secret (watch for this notice to be removed.)

I'm not familiar with the new generation of hand-helds, but I can tell you if your's has an available microphone jack and a 'speaker' jack, you can certainly do what you gotta do.

In 43 years of being a ham radio operator, I've fired up just about every transmitter I've ever had on the digital modes.

'Course, back in the 70s, 'digital' meant RTTY and that was about it. Today, we have slow scan television, PSK31, Feld Hell, MFSK16, ALE, AX-25 packet, Olivia, etc etc.

But for this particular discussion, I'll focus on WINMOR and Pactor as those are the modes that are incorporated in the two digital infrastructures that we have available for your use.

Both modes provide:

1. OPSEC and COMSEC. Since the messages are 'squished' prior to transmission, you can be reasonably sure that the nosy neighbors, the local newspaper reporters sittin' on their scanners, and the mutant ZOMBIE bikers aren't going to be reading your stuff.

2. Relay infrastructure. Uber important, so that you don't need ridiculous amounts of power, gigantic antennas, or the need to talk directly to the bunker at the far end. Myself, I use a hunk of wire, hidden in the trees, so as to connect to my local digital hub, who will automatically relay my (your!) message traffic along the way to the ultimate destination.

3. Error correction. Also extremely important. What's received is what was sent in the first place. What gets relayed from point to point is what you spat out originally. Guaranteed.

Welcome aboard, Byron. You'll find most monkeys are OPSEC oriented, you won't pick up too much info on individuals until you've been here a while. BTPost is our radio comms specialist, you'll no doubt be reading his posts and blog. There are a few other hams aboard with varying levels of experience on the air, and a couple others that are thinking about taking the tests.

Welcome to the Comms forum, WA4.... Yes, we have a good group of Hams here... to share Ideas with, and educate our Newbies, on the more advanced Modes available to Hams. Just an aside here, you might want to read the Communications White Paper... MonkeyNet is here.... and see if the concept is something you might be interested in. The technology is Free, and available to ANYone, and Everyone, however the actual MonkeyNet Group is by Invitation Only, and Vetting takes a while, as we need to get to know you, a bit better. If you do decide that this might be of interest to you, Let @DarkLight know, via PM, and he can hook you up to the Place where the Technology can be downloaded. I see in your Bio on QRZ.com, that your .Mil Service, is similar to some other Monkeys, here-bouts. Looks like you are a contemporary of @tulianr. Maybe you served together. .......

Bruce in alaska (BTPost) An Atheist will never be able to say, "I TOLD YOU SO"!! ....

Still, the point can be made that it's up and running, 24/7/365 and is available for YOUR use.

And the NTS(D) Pactor network is FAR smaller than the WL2K system. I don't have stats for WL2K, but I can guesstimate that it transported a hundred times more messages last month than NTS(D) did.

Winlink 2000 is used by a lot of mariners and full-time RVers who are stuck out in the middle of nowhere with no commercial power and no internet. Sound familiar, maybe? For them, it's a mini-SHTF, made a lot more comfortable by the fact that they can remain in touch with loved ones, all around the world.

Many (most?) of the NTS(D) and WL2K node operators aren't in it for the utility of being able to communicate with others. Rather, we find it much more gratifying to make error-corrected, non-voice communications available to anybody who feels the need.

And yet many of you could easily wonder why not just pick up a mike and yack?

Well, you could.

Except that by doing things that way, you'd have no error correction, you'd have an EXTREMELY limited path of reliability, and you'd end up having to accept those limitations.

Instead, you could consider using the digital networks that we have available to you. Did I mention that they are free?

WL2K is a LOT more useful to the survivalist than even the NTS(D) Pactor system.

Why? Because it has a lot more nodes that are near to your own location, meaning that it will take a bare minimum of power and the smallest of stealth antennas to enable you to connect with them, and get your message traffic out to its ultimate destinations around the country, and around the world.

Here's a somewhat simplified (not to mention poorly done) graphic of how I (or YOU) can get into the WL2K system.

Note that the callsigns (N9LOH-5 for example) are for my location in Nebraska. In your case, you can use any of the large number of relay points that are available in your area.

WL2K flexibility has other important aspects as well. It may prove to be your experience that the 40 meter band, as shown, might not work during a given point in the day; that's the nature of HF propagation.

Not to worry, though, the WL2K stations typically scan numerous frequencies on numerous bands. That way, if you can't connect to a given station, you can always switch bands and connect to one that will support your SHTF comms.

Luck, It would be nice if you could write up a simple Tutorial, that covered a Starter Hardware System, say with a TS-430, or similar, and a low cost Modem, that includes wiring etc. Then present an operational Tutorial of making a connection, passing a messages, retrieving a message, ect. This might give some newer, non-Digital Hams an idea, about the specifics, of this type of Comms... Just a suggestion....

Bruce in alaska (BTPost) An Atheist will never be able to say, "I TOLD YOU SO"!! ....